Saturday, July 16, 2011

Concert Review: Motley Crue & Poison Explode At Mohegan Sun

Two of the elite rock bands to emerge from the eighties joined forces Friday night to electrify the Mohegan Sun Arena. Poison and Motley Crue have lead similar paths to success. Both bands were very hard working in their beginnings on the L.A. club scene. Both bands began their careers with make-up caked on their faces and outlandish clothing and both bands are now celebrating anniversaries (Poison’s 25th & Motley Crue’s 30th). While both bands put on a great show, their differences in their performances shone through.

Poison’s 50 minute display was like a well-oiled machine. There timing was perfect, as was their set list. Their performance was full of hits as the audience knew every line to every song by heart. Poison got the explosions started early with “Look What The Cat Dragged In” and “Ride The Wind.” From that point on, they turned the stage into one big party as Bret Michaels, C.C. DeVille and Bobby Dall worked the stage, covering a lot ground to get the crowd pumped. Rikki Rockett’s drum solo led to a sing-along of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” From that point on, the band never looked back as they pushed the amount of energy in high-gear finishing with “Talk Dirty To Me” and “Nothin’ But A Good Time.” As Poison left the stage, the audience was pumped and ready for more.

Motley Crue’s entrance to the stage was like a bomb going off in the arena as fireworks and explosions flew from their stage. With a couple of female dancers by his side, lead singer Vince Neil worked the audience with early favorites “Live Wire” and “Shout At The Devil.” The only problem with Motley Crue’s set was the long gaps of silence between songs. This was especially annoying during their power ballad “Home Sweet Home” as Tommy Lee ran between the piano and drums. But Lee’s drum solo was one of the best rock spectacles I’ve ever seen at a concert. His drum set rotated 360 degrees around a steal track which stood 50 feet tall. From that point on, The Crue could do no wrong blasting out hits like “Dr. Feelgood” and “Too Young To Fall In Love.” The one rare gem of their greatest hits set list was “Ten Seconds To Love” which made long-time fans very happy indeed. Motley Crue finished their 80 minute set with the classics “Girls, Girls Girls” and “Smokin’ In The Boys Room.”

It was no sooner as they exited the stage that two female dancers with flame throwers came out, paving the way for guitarist Mick Mars’ intro to “Kickstart My Heart.” With energy levels at an all time high, the band rocked the song as if it was their last performance of the tour. As the band came together at the front of the stage to take a bow, they doused the audience with buckets of water to signal their finale.

Both Motley Crue and Poison gave fans what they demanded as two of rock’s powerhouse bands came together to put on a performance for the ages. Seventies glam-rockers the New York Dolls opened the show with a 40-minute set that included the punk-style of “Trash” along with fan favorites “Pills” and “Personality Crisis.”

Poison Setlist:
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Ride The Wind
We're An American Band
You Mama Don't Dance
Fallen Angel
Unskinny Bop
Every Rose Has It's Thorn
Talk Dirty To Me
Nothin' But A Good Time